Riverside City Council Seeks Community Input

All residents in the City of Riverside are being urged by the city council to help create the 2018-20 municipal budget.

Citizens are being encouraged to make their voices heard during a series of public meetings, the first of which was held during the city council meeting on Tuesday, January 16.

The city is working to create the two-year budget within the framework of a five-year spending plan, so whatever spending and curtailment decisions are made will impact the community for the next several years.

To encourage robust public participation, the city has scheduled meetings with the city council like the session that occurred on Tuesday, the Budget Engagement Commission, and the public in various neighborhoods around the city, in addition to employees and the business community.

The city’s Budget Engagement Commission was recently created, to advise the city council on the budget and related matters. It will lead several citywide discussions on the budget, including a review of the projections and preliminary balancing measures proposed by the city’s various departments.

Recently, Mayor Rusty Bailey stressed, “There are few things that have more impact on our city government than the budget, so I encourage everyone to take the time to review these materials and, if possible, attend one of the community meetings.” He added, “Openness and transparency are part of any truly representative government, and we are committed to these ideals in Riverside.”

The proposed budget documents and a schedule of public meetings are available online at www.riversideca.gov/finance/budget.asp. The meetings are part of the city’s comprehensive budget development process. The city council hopes to be able to adopt the final budget by June 12.